Published: June 29, 2023

Criminal Justice Internship Solidifies Career Choice For Senior

Haley Faul ’23 says the greatest part of her internship with the U.S. Probation Office in the Middle District of Florida is the possibility that she could change someone’s life. 

Faul also works at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida.

In her role, Faul, a criminology/criminal justice major, assists probation officers with serving subpoenas, writing sentencing recommendations for violation of probation hearings, and home and employment visits. 

Prior to the internship, she was unsure what she wanted to do after graduation. 

Faul never considered a career in probation, but she thought the internship would be an opportunity to learn more about the criminal justice system. She also works at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida, giving her additional insight into how federal agencies operate.

“I was eager to learn about another government agency and get the opportunity to see things from another perspective,” she said.

Faul typically gets into the office at 8 a.m. and checks to see if any officers have a project for her. Some days an officer may be called into court if someone under supervision has been arrested, so she will go to the courthouse and sit in on the hearing. On other days, she will go out in the field with an officer and meet with offenders to go over their terms of supervision or check in to see how they are doing. She will also help officers write up violations and assist them in proofreading to ensure the violation is ready to file with the court.

“Overall, no two days are ever the same when working in the criminal justice system,” she said.

“The most rewarding part of the internship is knowing that I have the potential to change someone’s life,” she said. “Whether that be helping an offender get reintegrated into society, or showing them that no matter your background, you can lead a good life.” 

Faul said that another reason she views probation as a positive is that it provides the person with the support they may have been lacking when they committed their crime(s).

After graduation, she hopes to work in probation for the state of Florida, and eventually move on to working with U.S. probation.

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